ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Monday granted conditional permission to Bol TV for airing Amir Liquat Hussain’s programme ‘Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga’.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, said it would interpret the sections 26 and 27 of Pemra Ordinance 2002 that deals with Council of Complaints and prohibition of broadcast media or distribution service operation.

It cautioned Hussain that the programme should not contain any hate speech, discussion on ideology of Pakistan and code of conduct.

The apex court directed the Bol TV that the programme transcript and recording would be submitted to the court on a daily basis.

The court directed the counsel of the Bol TV to file the reply within three days before the Council of Complaints of the Pemra and the council would decide the case independently.

The chief justice said that they could not put restrictions on freedom of speech.

He said that: “We all should have trust on the institutions.”

The IHC on February 26 by suspending the Pemra ban, allowed anchorperson Dr Hussain to conduct a show on a private television channel.  Pemra had banned Hussain’s show over ‘hate speech’ in January.

The chief justice observed it seemed that the high court, while passing the order did not consider the apex court’s February 8 order.

Hussain informed the bench that for the last one month his programme had been shut.

He said that Pemra had many complaints against Geo TV but it did not consider them, adding it seems the action taken against his programme was vindictive.

Justice Maqbool Baqir asked Pemra counsel that there should not be unilateral proceeding, adding Pemra must also consider conduct of other channels.

The chief justice said that when the applications against other channels would come before them then they would consider them.

Nisar ordered Pemra to club all the applications against Hussain and hear them in Islamabad. Pemra was directed to decide the case after hearing Hussain within one week, adding that Pemra had already delayed the matter.

Hussain told that Pemra chairman had committed contempt of court by appointing private counsel in the case.

The Supreme Court judgment last month had strongly condemned engaging of private counsel by the government.The case was adjourned for an indefinite period.